LAS VEGAS – Last month, NBA teams overlooked Gary Harris because of how he looked in his gym socks.

Harris, who never had a problem measuring up during his Hamilton Southeastern High days nor his short career at Michigan State, stretched only to 6-2 ½ feet without shoes on at the NBA Combine. So, partially for that reason, during the draft, teams passed until Harris, once projected as a lottery pick, fell to No. 19.

Harris did not have a growth spurt by last Saturday night – he's still listed at 6-4, with the aid of shoes – but he made a strong move in showing that he can stand tall amongst his peers.

Inside the crowded Cox Pavilion gymnasium on the campus of UNLV, Harris made his professional debut for the Denver Nuggets and poured in 33 points, the highest total of all eight of the games played during the NBA Samsung Summer League on Saturday night.

So much for the knock against the 'small' kid from Indianapolis.

"I'm just playing basketball," Harris said after the game. "Not trying to make any statements, just playing like I know I can play."

Harris said these words with a towel draped over his head and an expression that would work at one of the countless poker tables on The Strip. He was not raptured by his 10-of-17 shooting performance, including five makes from beyond the 3-point arc. After all, this is still Summer League, where even off-the-radar players like Eli Holman and Delonte West resurface in hopes of landing NBA contracts.

Even so, for a player who had only two practices with his new teammates, Harris looked comfortable while learning Denver's concepts on the fly.

"He shot the ball well, he was aggressive," Nuggets head coach Brian Shaw said. "We talked a little bit after the game on recognizing when he was too close to the sidelines. He got trapped a couple of times and got a couple of turnovers doing that but overall, I thought his effort was good. I liked what I saw and I think it's good he had a good experience for his overall first professional (game)."

Gary Harris during his college career at Michigan State
(Photo:
Mike Carter / USA TODAY Sports
)

Shaw has known Harris from his days as an Indiana Pacers assistant coach. Harris was just in high school then, on his way to becoming Indiana's Mr. Basketball, but Shaw knew him as a humble kid from a good family. Though the front office made the decision on draft picks, Shaw was still able to put in a good word for Harris.

Since leaving the Pacers to become a head coach, Shaw has adopted several of his former team's principles – the word "togetherness," a Frank Vogel maxim, displays prominently inside the Nuggets' locker room. So when Harris appealed to the Nuggets, Shaw also recognized it as another opportunity to land a player with high character, the same principle the Pacers had built their new foundation upon.

"I know we have a good character person that's going to fit into the culture that we're trying to build there," said Shaw, who said he was not completely surprised that Harris was available at No. 19.

"I think a part of it … was he only measured in at 6-2 ½ without his shoes," Shaw said. "People thought he was a lot bigger than that but you know, it's all about your heart."

Harris, with or without shoes on, has not looked back to the draft. However in time, those NBA teams who passed on him may reminisce with regret.

"Everything happens for a reason," Harris said. "Nobody necessarily knows what's going to happen draft night but the way the chips fell, I feel like I came to a good spot.

"I feel like I've played pretty well but there is still some room for improvement, things I still need to do better," Harris continued, "but it was my first game and I felt good to finally get it under my belt. Now get ready for the next one."